Virginia concealed handgun permit privacy.

[HOOfan_1]

I probably remember hearing that the Virginia Legislature declared concealed handgun permits as restricted records, but it kind of just hit me the other day. The permits are recorded in Court Order Books, which are generally open records. These books are used a lot by researchers, especially genealogists and the circuit courts and libraries have had to pull these order books and indices to these order books going back to 1895. Seems like people will have to submit a FOIA request in order to get information from the order books which does not pertain to concealed handgun permits.

The genealogists are already up in arms....and those are a pretty vociferous lot. Some of those people take their Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of the Confederacy research about as seriously as we take our guns.

Personally I think
1) The concealed handgun permits should be relegated to their own restricted order books, just like juvenile records.
2)Those order books which contain concealed handgun permits should be restricted 75-100 years, instead of indefinitely.

 

[paramedic70002]

I'm not all up to speed on it, but I thought the restriction was just that someone had to go to each Circuit Court in person to get the info versus getting the VSP database on CD. Or was that last year, and they tightened it up more?

 

[HOOfan_1]

I'm not all up to speed on it, but I thought the restriction was just that someone had to go to each Circuit Court in person to get the info versus getting the VSP database on CD. Or was that last year, and they tightened it up more?

The restriction before was just that the SSN# had to be redacted. See the changes made about half way down the page

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?131+ful+SB1335ER+hil


The Circuit Courts are having to pull the records from public view. AG Cuccinelli even issued an opinion stating that the clerks must withhold all information about applicants and orders granting permits before the effective date.

 

[HOOfan_1]

Here is an article about it

http://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog/2013/08/26/the-law-of-unintended-consequences/